With W Heart Bond, Ryusei Sakai seeks another G1 victory on the Japanese dirt

The jockey, who has just taken the Saudi Cup with Forever Young, will ride the mare in Sunday's February Stakes(G1) in Tokyo

On the outside, W Heart Bond winning the Champions Cup / JRA

TOKYO, Japan (Special for Turf Diario).- The major calendar of the Japan Racing Association lights up again this Sunday with the running of the February Stakes (G1), the first top-level race of 2026 on the local program. Contested over a mile on the dirt track of Tokyo Racecourse, the race offers a particular technical spice: a start on the turf in the backstretch and only one turn, a design that usually favors horses with fluid action and sustained speed.

It is, along with the Champions Cup in December, one of only two G1 dirt races among the 15 hierarchical stakes held each season on that surface in Japan. The event was born in 1984 as the February Handicap (G3), climbed to G2 in 1994, and reached domestic G1 status in 1997, before receiving international recognition in 2007. Since then, only one foreigner has competed: Shirl’s Speight (Speightstown), who finished ninth in the 2023 version.

Last year, history was written with special ink when Rachel King became the first woman to win a flat JRA G1 by prevailing with Costa Nova (Encosta de Lago). This year, the winner will pocket nearly one million dollars. Additionally, the race has been part of the Breeders’ Cup Challenge Series since 2016.

For 4-year-olds and up, all carrying 58 kilos (2 less for mares), there will be 16 competitors in a group that highlights the presence of W Heart Bond (Kizuna). The 5-year-old mare arrives after her tight victory in the Champions Cup. She is trained by Ryuji Okubo and will be ridden by Ryusei Sakai, fresh from his international success with Forever Young (Real Steel) in the Saudi Cup (G1). Statistics play against her: only one female has won this race in 42 editions, Hokuto Vega (Nagurski), in 1996.

Costa Nova, the defending champion, will seek to repeat, something only achieved by Copano Rickey (Gold Allure) and Cafe Pharoah (American Pharoah). With Christophe Lemaire confirmed, the son of Lord Kanaloa arrives after physical adjustments aimed at boosting his balance.

Wilson Tesoro is now 7 years old and is always a protagonist. Three times second in the Champions Cup, trainer Noboru Takagi believes the lighter JRA dirt suits him. He seeks to break a drought that has dragged on since 2023.

A powerful closer, Ramjet (Majestic Warrior), third in the Champions Cup, is another of the main names. Shozo Sasaki, his trainer, intends to see him a bit closer before launching his final charge. Kosei Miura will be in his reins.

A recent winner of the Procyon Stakes (G2) in Kyoto, Lord Couronne (Leontes) has 5 victories in his last 10 performances. Hirofumi Shii is confident that the mile will not be an issue.

Coming mostly from the NAR circuit, Natural Rise (Kizuna) returns after a break and intends to redeem himself after a weak end to the season.

Finally, Sixpence (Kizuna) could give veteran trainer Sakae Kunieda a golden finale before his retirement this spring.